Ice making machine freezing coil



May 31, 1955 M. N. GROW ICE MAKING MACHINE FREEZING con 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 7, 1948 m MW M m m N r 4 w m. 5

May 31, 1955 M. N. GROW ICE MAKING MACHINE FREEZING COIL Original Filed Oct. '7, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIEE 4 INVENTOR. Moms M kow' BY Arrow/Em Unite States Patent 0 ICE MAKING MACHINE FREEZING COIL Maris N. Grow, Edina, Minn.

Original application October 7, 1948, Serial No. 53,307, now Patent No. 2,585,240, dated February 12, 1952. Divided and this application August 24, 1951, Serial No. 243,469

1 Claim. (Cl. 62-106) This invention relates to an apparatus for use in a compression type refrigerant circuit for manufacturing artificial ice. The application is a division of my application filed October 7, 1948, and which issued into Patent No. 2,585,240.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a compressed refrigerant supplied ice making device having a plurality of freezing fingers adapted to be suspended in water for the formation of ice thereon as the refrigerant is allowed to vaporize in the fingers and having means insuring a uniform flow of refrigerant to each of the fingers.

Another object of my invention is to provide an ice forming device wherein an evaporator is suspended in water and fed with an expanding refrigerant whereupon ice will form on the evaporator and having means for preventing the accumulation of oil in the evaporator.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a freezing coil having a plurality of evaporator tubes, feeder tubes, and header pipes and having a novel arrangement of the various tubes and pipes for economical manufacture of the coil and uniform feeding of refrigerant to the evaporators.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an ice making device utilizing an evaporating refrigerant and wherein said evaporation is concentrated in the desired freezing area for rapid ice making.

With these and other objects in view my invention broadly comprises a freezing coil assembly adapted to be supported over a body of water and having a plurality of hollow fingers depending therefrom with their closed lower ends submerged in the water, a refrigerant capiliary tube extending into each finger for discharging refrigerant in the finger at a point near said lower end, and a means for supplying refrigerant under pressure to each of said capillary tubes forcing the refrigerant through the tube and against said lower end of the finger as it escapes from the tube.

The above mentioned and still further objects will be brought to light during the course of the following specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the freezing coil and its connections with a somewhat diagrammatic presentation of the complete refrigeration circuit used therewith.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the coil with one of the freezing fingers or evaporators partially broken away to show the position of the capillary tube extending downwardly therein.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail of the lower end of one of the evaporators with directional arrows showing the direction of flow of the refrigerant passing from the capillary tube into the evaporator.

Fig. 4 is also an end elevation of the coil showing the coil mounted over water containers with the freezing fingers depending in the water for the formation of ice jackets thereon.

2,19,344 Patented May 31, 1955 'ice Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an ice jacket manufactured by my device.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and using reference numerals to denote like parts in differ ent figures, the refrigerant coil, denoted generally by the number 10, and comprising a plurality of integrally connected refrigerant carrying pipes and tubes, will first be described. The coil includes a pair of transversely spaced, generally parallel inlet or distributor pipes 11 and a pair of diametrically larger outlet pipes 12 thereabove. Each of the pipes 11 and 12 has its ends closed, as shown in Fig. 2. The freezing elements or evaporator tubes 13 are in the form of angular drop legs or hollow fingers which depend from both sides of and open into the outlet pipes 12. These. tubes or fingers taper gradually downward and are closed at their lower ends as at 14. Between each pair of fingers 13 a pair of small diametered capillary or restrictor tubes 15 branch from each inlet pipe 11 and one of these tubes extends through the wall of each of the fingers and downwardly inside the finger to a point short of its closed end 14. These tubes 15 are open at their lower ends to discharge into the evaporator tubes. Headers 16 connect the inlet pipes 11 at spaced intervals to feed them and retain their parallel relation, and these headers are in turn connected by a pipe 17 which is fed by a refrigerant supply tube 18. Similarly, the outlet pipes 12 are connected by headers 19 which in turn are joined by pipe 26 which feeds into a return tube or suction line 21.

The coil 1%) is mounted over a tank or tanks of water, as shown in Fig. 4, with the lower end portions of the fingers 13 depending in the water. Refrigerant is supplied to the fingers causing the water surrounding the tip of each to freeze in the form of a jacket such as shown in Fig. 5. For this purpose the coil has connection with a conventional compression type refrigeration circuit in which the compressor 22 pumps a compression system refrigerant under pressure through tube 23 to the condenser 24 and receiver 25. The liquid refrigerant then passes through feed line 18 connected to the receiver to an expansion valve 26 provided on the line adjacent its connection with pipe 17. As the liquid passes through this valve some of the pressure is relieved to start vaporization of the liquid as it passes through pipes 17 and 16 and the distributors 11. The liquid refrigerant then passes downwardly through the capillary tubes 15, being discharged out the lower ends thereof, and boils upwardly in the evaporator tubes 13 from where it is returned through members 12, 19, and

. 20, and suction line 21 to the low side of the compressor.

Vaporization of the refrigerant in each finger 13 produces a low temperature causing the finger to withdraw heat from the surrounding water to form a jacket of ice around the submerged portion of the element.

It is important to note the size and function of the tubes 15. The primary purpose of these tubes is to feed the refrigerant to the various evaporators 13. It is found, however, that effective distribution can only be accomplished if the tubes 15 have very small diametered passageways, such as in a conventional capillary tube, whereby only such small amounts of the refrigerant are allowed to escape from the distributors 11 as to retain the refrigerant under pressure in the distributors and as it passes into the upper end of each feeder tube. it must be remembered that the pressure is only partially reduced by the valve 26. Accordingly, the pipes 11, 16, and 17 jointly form a chamber in which the refrigerant is held under considerable pressure and the only escape from which is through the tubes 15. Pressure reduction takes place as the liquid passes downwardly through the tube 15, the pressure from above operating to force the liquid downwardly so as to actually blow the liquid out the discharge end of the tube and against the end 14 of the evaporator.

The importance of forcing the refrigerant downwardly through the capillary tube by pressure from above will now be discussed. it is Well known that compression type refrigerants carry with them a refrigerant oil which, upon vaporization of the refrigerant, separates therefrom and settles at the bottom of the evaporator. This 18 clearly recognized in Patent No. 990,590, issued April 25, 1911, to W. T. Ray at page 1, lines 105 to 112. There the patentee provides for disconnecting the evaporators in an anhydrous ammonia coil in order that they might be inverted and emptied of the refrigerant oil or weak liquid which has settled in the bottom. In my invention this refrigerant oil would tend to collect in the bottom of the fingers 13, eventually blocking the ends of the feeder tubes 15 with resultant stoppage of or unequal distribution of the refrigerant flow to the various fingers. It is found that by forcing the refrigerant down through the feeder tubes as I do, rather than merely allowing it to descend by gravity, it jets out the discharge end of the tube with such force as to blow any separating oil upwardly into the outlet pipe 12 and so prevents its settling in the bottom of the finger. Accordingly, the capillary tubes 15 are believed to feed the refrigerant to the evaporators in a novel manner. Furthermore, because of the limited length of these tubes, they are not restrictive to the flow of hot gas admitted to the tubes during the thawing operation to be described.

In use the coil is preferably mounted in an insulation packed housing such as 27 with the fingers 13 depending downwardly therefrom. The housing is then supported as by a jack 23 over an open top tank or tanks of water 29 with the lower end portions of the fingers submerged in the water. The refrigeration cycle is then made operative for a predetermined length of time causing the water surrounding the fingers to freeze in the form of jackets 30 around the ends of the fingers. When the jackets have reached the desired size the housing 27 is raised as by extension of the jack 28.. A valve 31 on line 32, which connects high side line 23 with pipe 17, is then opened and the hot gas is allowed to flow into the coil and through tubes 15 heating the fingers to release their jackets. The tanks 29 may be provided with hinged deflectors 33 which are raised with the housing to an inclined position under the fingers as by cables 34 which deflect the jackets, as they fall, into a suitable receiver. The housing may then be lowered to repeat the operation.

My improved means of supplying the refrigerant to the many evaporator fingers insures equal distribution of the refrigerant to all fingers with resultant uniformity in the size of the ice jackets. Furthermore, the relative arrangement of the various tubes and pipes allows a maximum number of jackets to be made by the coil at a minimum coil construction cost. .1 have accordingly provided a device which economically and effectively carries out the aforementioned objectives.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claim. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A device for manufacturing a plurality of small particles of ice comprising a refrigerant supply source having a feed line and a return line, and a refrigerant carrying coil adapted to be mounted over a body of water and manufacture small ice particles from the water, said coil comprising a distributor pipe connected to said feed line, means for supporting said pipe horizontally over the water, an evaporator outlet pipe disposed above and parallel to the distributor pipe, a plurality of hollow evaporator fingers connecting with the outlet pipe and depending therefrom on both sides of the distributor pipe with the lower end portions of the fingers hanging in the water, and individual feeder tubes extending from the distributor pipe one into each evaporator finger through a side wall thereof and downwardly therein to carry refrigerant to the lower portion of the finger for freezing the water around the finger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 672,036 Preeston Apr. 16, l90l 1,482,227 Field Jan. 29, 1924 1,780,267 Malone Nov. 4, 1930 1,945,230 Lange Jan. 30, 1934 2,096,075 Tull Oct. 19, 1937 2,590,499 Braswell Mar. 25, 1952 2,643,524 Wilbushewich June 30, 1953 

